Only One Russian University Makes Latest World Rankings

Lomonosov Moscow State University is the only Russian institution in the Times World University Rankings for 2013-14.
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Russian universities have fallen on a renowned list of the world’s top 400 universities to be published Thursday, with the country’s most famous school dropping out of the top 225 and no others from Russia making the cut at all.

Lomonosov Moscow State University is the only Russian institution in the Times World University Rankings for 2013-14, placing in the 226-250 group after being in the 201-225 range last year.

President Vladimir Putin made it a priority upon returning to the Kremlin last year to improve Russian universities’ positions in international rankings, ordering the government to ensure that at least five domestic institutions entered the world’s top 100 by 2020.

The editor of the Times university rankings, Phil Baty, said the publication had begun cooperating informally with Russian education officials to help the country’s institutions improve their positions.

Baty noted one issue in particular that needed to be addressed by Russian authorities in order to upgrade its universities: embracing English as the language of scholarly communication.

The Times Higher Education rankings have been published annually since 2004 and some Russian universities made it into the top 200, before the publication switched to a stricter methodology in 2010.

The rankings are based on 13 factors, including the quality of teaching, research and international perspective, which measures the university’s ability to attract foreign students and faculty. Only schools in the top 200 are given specific positions.

This year’s rankings are dominated by U.S. institutions, which occupied seven of the top 10 spots, with the other three taken by British schools. California Institute of Technology ranks first, followed by Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton and Cambridge.

renowned (adj) celebrated; famousto drop out (v) to leave something such as an activity, school, or competition before you havefinished
to make the cut (idiom) to succeed or do well/good enoughto address (v) to direct the efforts or attention ofto include (v) to take in as a part, element, or member